Because 2 weeks of traveling isn’t enough
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Welcome to Cusco…massage?
If you shut your eyes, the center of Cusco could be interchanged with any backpacking tourist mecca around the world from Kathmandu to Bangkok to Bombay. With offers of guided tours, massages, and bland restaurant food amidst gaggling conversations of English, French, German, and Hebrew, you also want to put in ear plugs. With eyes…
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Goodbye, Arequipa
We will miss: Mankalu and Sarza for the best set lunches around Volcano Misti for its beautiful views wherever you are in the city Sunny days and cool nights The laundromat that spells Adam’s name “Aron” but always remembers us The numerous plays, concerts, and art gallery shows Evenings relaxing in the plaza and strolling…
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Chile Up There
When we rented a truck to visit Lauca National Park in Chile, we were shown the wrenches, jack, and spare tire. Jorge told us we would be fine as long as we had a full tank of gas. He also gave us his cell phone number so we could return the car after-hours. Unfortunately, jumper…
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Land of Pisco
Arriving at a bus terminal at night is inevitably a bad start to visiting a new city. In Moquegua, this was compounded by a plaza of protesters blaring their message over loud speakers, an hour-long search for a decent and reasonable hotel room, and a taxi-ride to a suburb where the 3 specialty restaurants were…
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Holy Week, Arequipena Style
Like most of our experiences in Peru, our Semana Santa (Holy Week) revolved around food. We found two copies of the holy week schedule – one at the tourist information office where we scribbled down a list of dates and times. The other was posted at the cathedral but disappeared after Monday. Instead, we…
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Going Shopping
In Pittsburgh, we cook almost every night, but in our first week in Peru it was hard to imagine cooking dinner that was more worthwhile than going out to a restaurant. Then we visited Arequipa’s main market. Now we aim to cook at least once a week. After trying alpaca steaks at restaurants around town,…
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Cebiche & Flamingos
Some people go to the beach to swim and suntan. We go to the beach to eat fish, and in this case, look at birds. After two hours of downhill slaloming from Arequipa, the ocean breezes of Mollendo are a delightful relief. On second glance, the run-down buildings in the off-season remind one of…
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Hoy Adobo
On Sundays, various restaurants around Arequipa set out signs saying: “Hoy Adobo” (Today Adobo). After brief investigation, we learn that the nearby suburb Cayma is THE place to enjoy this local specialty. A ten-minute taxi ride brings us to the main plaza of Cayma, a flowering park, surrounded by cafes and restaurants each accompanied by…
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Colca Canyon
3 hours from Arequipa, through the harsh Peruvian altiplano where only vicuñas dare to tread, you reach Chivay, the gateway to the Colca Canyon. For the next 3 hours on the bus, the dirt road deteriorates, donkey traffic increases, and the canyon gets continually deeper until you reach Cabanaconde. Technically, buses can continue, but we…
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Home Sweet Arequipa
We’ve really settled into our new home in Arequipa. Instead of renting an apartment here, we decided after very little arm-twisting to stay in a sweet little hostel with 6 spacious rooms. We wake up early in Arequipa as the natural sunlight starts filtering into our room at 6AM. Every morning, we enjoy coffee, bread,…
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